If you're Goodwill hunting in Seattle, the pickings are about to get very lean. The famous thrift store chain is shuttering two of its Seattle locations, citing escalating theft, safety concerns, and rising rents. That's a loss for lower-income residents of the area - and for people with various disabilities who Goodwill is known for employing. That's not good for Goodwill, and it's not good for Seattle:

Thrift shoppers will need to find a new location to score deals in Seattle, after Goodwill announced that it will be closing two locations due to "escalating theft, safety concerns" as well as "rising rents."

Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington announced the closures on Friday in a blog post, saying that the decision came after they were unable to "maintain a secure and sustainable environment for both employees and shoppers."

"The announcement was made as escalating theft, safety concerns, and rising rents have made it increasingly difficult to maintain a secure and sustainable environment for both employees and shoppers," the announcement said. 

The two locations — South Lake Union and University District — will officially close Sept. 22.

We would do well to remember that Seattle is the epicenter of one of the worst 2020 "Summer of Love" riot-fests, including the infamous "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone," which was claimed to have been started as an anarchist enclave but ended up being a satrapy ruled by a "rapper" warlord with a gang of armed thugs. That Seattle. That's the Seattle that Goodwill is pulling out of - citing theft, safety concerns, and rising rents:

Derieontay Sparks, senior vice president at Evergreen Goodwill, blamed the "troubling rise in property damage, break-ins, and safety concerns for our employees" for the decision. 

She said that these "challenges," combined with the sky-high rental costs, made keeping the doors open "unsustainable."

"The decision to close these stores was not made lightly," Sparks said in the announcement. "Both locations have experienced a troubling rise in property damage, break-ins, and safety concerns for our employees. These challenges, coupled with rising rent and operational costs, have made it unsustainable to continue operating in these areas."

What more evidence do we need of the sad decline of so many of our nation's major cities?

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In this case, I'm inclined to take things somewhat personally, and here's why and I'm going to tell you. One of my second cousins was left mentally disabled by a severe fever when she was an infant. She could handle most day-to-day tasks; she could cook simple things, do laundry, and keep herself and her rooms clean. Her capabilities were limited beyond that, and in many places and at many times, she would have been dependent on government handouts for her entire adult life. But she wasn't, she managed to support herself for most of her adult life, and that was because of Goodwill. They trained her and gave her a job in a local store, helped her find a room in a nearby group home for mentally disabled people, and most importantly, gave her some pride.

That last was the most important. I was a teenager when she got the job and the room and moved out of her mother's house. I remember seeing her at family gatherings; the joy on her face when she talked about "my job" and "my apartment" was tangible, and it made us all happy for her.

It's bad enough that people in Seattle, because of that city's utter failure to do the elementary job of government - protect the liberty and property of the people - are losing a reputable, quality thrift store chain. But people like my second cousin, people with few avenues to pursue that will offer independence, will now be denied those opportunities that Goodwill offers.

And the people of Seattle will, no doubt, continue to vote the same lunatics back in charge of the asylum.